How to Ground a Two-Prong Electrical Outlet | Ask This Old House
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2024
- Ask This Old House master electrician Heath Eastman explains the purpose of a ground wire and then grounds an outlet for a homeowner.
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Any work that involves working on the electrical panel can be dangerous and should only be done by a licensed professional.
In this scenario, Heath found that none of the surrounding receptacles or their wiring were to code, so he removed and replaced them with a 12-2 NM cable and a single GFCI outlet. These materials can be found at any home center or electrical supply store.
Time: 3-4 hours
Cost: $400
Skill Level: Professional Only
Tools:
Hammer [amzn.to/3c6UipD]
Pliers [amzn.to/39SYiIN]
Screwdriver [amzn.to/2JQauiN]
Shopping List:
NM cable [amzn.to/2Rn8piJ]
Arc-fault breaker [amzn.to/2JS45ns]
GFCI receptacle or grounded receptacle [amzn.to/2xWfHTA]
Electrical staples [amzn.to/2UUAksr]
Steps for Replacing Two-Prong Electrical Outlets:
1. Heath starts by explaining the purpose of a ground wire:
a. To complete an electric circuit, power must be sent from the panel, through the hot wire, and back through the neutral wire. Under normal operating circumstances, the electric devices in a home should work without issue.
b. If a device faults, meaning that the current in the circuit strays from the path for a variety of circumstances (water near exposed wires, two wires touching, etc.), that current will go wherever is easiest, which can create a shock hazard.
c. A ground wire is a bare piece of copper that goes into the jacket of wiring with the hot and neutral wires. Due to its extreme conductivity, excess current from a fault will naturally travel on the bare copper and cause the breaker to trip.
d. While the lack of a ground wire won’t prevent an electrical device from working properly, the ground wire is an important safety device that is now part of the electrical code.
2. In most cases, grounding a receptacle means running new wiring with a ground wire in it. Start by cutting power to the main electrical panel.
3. Run the NM cable from the panel to the location of the outlet. This process could result in a wide variety of obstacles, including getting the cable through floors and behind walls, or in this case, running the cable across basement joists and stapling them in place with electrical staples and a hammer. The ease of running the wire will determine the overall cost of the job.
4. Next, wire the receptacle. If an old two-prong receptacle is still in use, that will need to be replaced with either a three-prong receptacle (in living spaces) or a ground fault circuit interrupting receptacle (in bathrooms, kitchens and basements), depending on its location. Wiring will usually require a pair of pliers and a screw driver to secure the wires to the receptacle.
5. Back at the panel, wire the new wiring to a circuit breaker. In this case, Heath used an arc fault breaker and added it to the panel. The hot and neutral wire to the breaker, the neutral pigtails to the neutral bar, and the ground wire ties into the grounding bar. These wires can be secured with a screwdriver.
6. Turn the power back on.
Resources:
Expert assistance with this segment was provided by Eaton and Eastman Electric (www.eatonandeas....
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How to Ground a Two-Prong Electrical Outlet | Ask This Old House
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I actually like the new guy Heath a lot. Clear, concise and seems to know what he's doing
Oh, he knows exactly what he's doing.
Noo he don't, electrical is not his thing
Seems he's gone though. Scott Caron is back. Much more animated and enjoyable to watch.
@@tcpnetworks I don't think he's gone, on youtube they are simply not replaying the video in the filmed order
BEWARE! Just because you turn off the main breaker does not mean that there "are no energized parts in the panel." The two mains coming in from the meter will still be hot, so you do still have to be careful while working with the cover off.
i think houses should have an electric main panel outside or in the first floor that is giving to the rest of the house panels (this one won't have anything except being a safety mesure to turn off when working on the others)
@@brm901 houses usually have a breaker At the meter before this panel that you can shut off
@@brm901 i have that outside my house. 2 breakers
@@isaiah4478 never had this in 45 years and owning 5 houses. The distance from your meter to your panel determines if you have a disconnect outside the panel. Otherwise, pulling the meter is the only way to isolate main panel.
Didn't they delete you?
that little drill dust collector is nice
I want one. Not sure why but i am sure i NEED it 😆
I don't know. just let the stuff fall to the ground & let the homeowner clean it up
My thoughts exactly
It looked like a bunch of dust fell out of the bottom when he pulled it away from the wall anyway lol! Check it again and let me know if you see it
@@ourmusicsmajor it looks like there’s a small vacuum port on it but it was covered
This should have been titled "if you have a two-pronged outlet replace it"
I have a two pronged outlet in my 1940’s house. Really cool how it is decorated. Not bland, flat and boring like the ones in use today. When I rewire the house that is the one outlet I am going to keep. If I have doubts about it’s safety due to age I’ll rewire it as a 12 volt and use it to power a 12 volt bulb in my 1920’s Art Deco floor lamp.
@@coffeeisgood102 I wouldn’t worry about them being unsafe just be sure that the insulation on the wiring is in good condition and it should be fine
I have a 1956 house, it was all two wire as per code at the time. There were a couple outlets which the previous owner had installed three prong outlets and as in the video had no ground so I labelled them. A neighbor is a Master Electrician who ran his own business and I asked how much to rewire everything, here is what he told me. "When your house was built practice was put the main panel by the back door and wire UP into the roof then drop DOWN for wall outlets. Now we put the main panel in the basement where modern Service Entrance for utilities are located, and wire UP. Shorter runs, more accessible and less material. To rewire your house would cost a a fortune. To upgrade my old 60 Amp service he installed a new mast (our neighborhood is overhead wire) a 110 Amp service to a new panel. The old panel is now a sub panel, several circuits were removed and rewired to the new panel and the rest were left, as long as you don't make changes to any of the circuits in the old panel they are grandfathered and legal.
He added a GFCI in the living room for the entertainment Center which is on the old panel but that change is legal.
@@coffeeisgood102 are you referring to the plate?
Just setup a socket with GFCI so I can get the dehumidifier running in a basement! Not skilled enough/have the equipment to change out the entire line, but I appreciate the video, and that they showed you how to. Might attempt it when I'm a bit more competent. Now on to 50 other things I've gotta do for this place! :D
This was the right repair done the right way. The cost in the description is low but it's probably an old video.
Not in the Midwest. If I did that job it would of billed at $250 ‐$300. Been in buisness since 1996 so I don't need to lowball either.
Thanks for the simple and spot on explanation. The irony is that it is so simple and you can’t get anyone to state the obvious instead they make it confusing and complicated. Though I’m 63 years old I just completed an electricians course and obviously don’t consider myself an electrician. I know there will be plenty of learning to do and will proceed with caution but just this simple explanation makes a difference. Thanks again.
That guy didnt know what a ground was and you're trusting him use the mulimeter to tell when the powers off?
One, it's scripted. Two, there's a lot they probably cut out. Don't believe everything you see on TV.
Anyone using a multi meter to prove dead should be shot to start with.
Anyone using a multi meter to prove dead should be shot to start with.
He immediately picked up on the "don't put a knife in the toaster " meant he understands the ground fault he knows electrical
Nathan 😂😂
If you were discouraged by this answer, another way to provide some safety is to add a GFCI outlet or breaker. Not as good as a real ground, but much better than giving up and leaving it as is. Yes, a GFCI will work without a grounding wire.
THIS. Thank you Ryan. Wife and I just purchased an old house (1958) and previous owners put GFCI outlets literally everywhere. But not in many places where they're actually needed. Like, the laundry room for example. I also saw a couple 2-pronged outlets...If the house is still ungrounded and based off of an older system with different standards, are the 2 options: 1) Add ground wire to the breaker and all circuits or 2) replace every outlet with a GFCI in order to plug in 3 pronged appliances/devices?
@@cameroneverhart6443 Well, the right answer is "Both" since a GFCI and grounding wire provide safety in different ways. If your house has unbroken metal conduit to all locations, a qualified electrician could probably set up grounding from that. If it's knob and tube, grounding everything would be prohibitively expensive. Note too that you only really need one GFCI device per circuit, not per outlet, assuming everything is wired correctly. So try manually testing the existing GFCI outlets and see what else goes down with them, you may already have protection on the outlets you're concerned about.
@@ryanjcampbell NEVER depend on the GFCI test button if the GFCI was used on an UNgrounded installation. The test button uses the earth ground conductor to create the imbalance between hot & neutral. In that case, the test button will NOT trip the GFCI, leading one the conclude there is a problem, The GFCI may indeed work as intended if the leakage current is going to ground via some other path: a short circuit, wet towel, human, etc.
@@cameroneverhart6443 1958?! That's almost new in terms of housing. Knob & tube wiring was falling out of favor prior to WWII. Nonmetallic-sheathed cable, or NM for short, was first Listed and described in the NEC in 1926, but it was invented a few years earlier by Rome Wire Company in 1922 in Rome, NY, and marketed under the trade name “Romex® If your house doesn't have "Romex" NM plastic cable, it likely has Fabric-Insulated Electrical Wire; brands were Cres-Flex and Ammcoflex among others.
The Fabric-Insulated cable was usually 2 conductor with ground. But a lot of "old-timer" electricians thought the bare earth ground wire was new-fangled and unnecessary, and thus just cut it off when stripping the jacket.
My house was built in 1894, at least according to county tax records. That's old. There were still a few gas pipes in my walls for gas mantles. It had knob & tube put it when the house was electrified around the 1920s. It was rewired around the late 40s with a mix of plastic & fabric NM cable.
@@RichardFallstich I believe that is only true for external GFCI test devices. I was saying to use the test button on the outlets, which will cut off the entire circuit they are on regardless of grounding, at least all the ones I've used have.
I purchased an older house (1959) with two conductor wiring throughout. Lived in it for a few years but when I installed an outdoor pool requiring additional grounding, I installed a grounding "pad" for the pool. Since I was at it, I did the same thing for the house. I dropped 5 8 ft. copper dowels around the house and took separate ground wire to each of the receptacles. Every receptacle had it's own discrete ground after each receptacle was replaced. I used the existing wiring in the house because too many walls would have to have been torn up. I was now up to code and safe. Then again, this was 30 years ago and I'm certain codes have been updated...but it worked and has worked for an additional 3 decades.
@m rapacki Only 4 in the one I am in. With screw-in fuses and a 60 amp mains coming in. The linemen I talked to had never heard of a 60 amp incoming wire. WTF 😂 🤣
How to Ground a Two-Prong Electrical Outlet: Re-wire the entire circuit.
Hahahaha exactly
He did explain that replacing the 2 prong with only the gfci receptacle would bring that old 2 prong to code and new safety measures max 20 dollar repair, but also stated that because the circuit was such a short run a new run would be even better, which i can completely agree. so the video covered both options
@@mnf65 He also didn't explain how to ground a two prong outlet ;)
@@lampoyo you have to ground the box IF its metal and not grounded already, if you cant do that then stop complaining because you cant figure out the simplicity of it.
LMAO How to Ground a Two-Prong Electrical Outlet: You Don't
Good video, thanks. Note that the dryer is a gas dryer. A washer and a gas dryer can be on the same dedicated 120V 20A circuit. An electric dryer requires a dedicated 240V circuit, typically 30A using 10-gauge 4-wire cable (10-3 with ground), which for residential in the USA color-coded orange.
I was wondering how that thing was being powered by a regular outlet! Thanks.
How many NEMA 10-30R dryer receptacles have you installed?? Only 3 total terminals, 2 "hot" wires and earth. No neutral used or needed on electric dryers. No place for an orange wire to go.
@@RichardFallstich on some ovens you can have 4 wires on some others you are required to have a neutral and ground, i imagine there migh be some dryers that might call for 4 wires.
@@robertopics What you say about ovens is true. But the post was about a dryer. I NEVER saw a 4-wire dryer. Dryers typically do not need a neutral.
Moreover, since the 1996 NEC (250.60) grounding equipment such as ranges and dryers to a neutral conductor is NOT permitted. So now ALL 250V ovens need 4 wires (earth, neutral, hot, hot) with a NEMA 14-50 type device.
Existing installations are not required to be changed if they were in compliance of the NEC at the time the installation.
Wexercise
Title is misleading. He just replaces the entire electrical circuit.
The NEC says you cannot run just a ground wire to an outlet, because if you can run a ground wire, you can run a whole new grounded cable. He offered the NEC approved alternative of installing a GFCI, and using the ungrounded label sticker included. So yes, he answered the question.
It’s a TOH video. Of course the solution is “replace everything”...
@Sean O Deli If the box isn't connected to the grounding system for the house then bonding the receptacle to the box accomplishes nothing.
@@jconradh You can run only a ground wire. The conditions are outlined in 250.130(C). Yes, for new installs the EGC must either contain or be ran with the circuit conductors. In this case, he could have pulled a single green, bare copper or green/yellow stripe conductor of the appropriate size to the nearest source of ground that terminates in the enclosure which powers that branch circuit.
@@jefferytownsend7787 you have to run a ground wire from the panel to ground it, might as well run a new wire, right? Less crap I have to cut out later 🤣
I love how Heath and the rest of the TOS crew can take what can sometimes be an overwhelming or confusing topic and simplify it down with practical and relatable demonstrations. If I'm not 100% sure about something, I always turn to TOS first. Would love to buy everyone at TOS a "cold one" for the knowledge and confidence I've acquired from them over the years!
the title should be "how to install a new electrical outlet" he didn't ground a two-prong outlet , he installed a new one.
Installing the GFCI at the first outlet in the circuit "grounds" any plugs after it in the circuit . So if there had been more receptacles, they would have thus been grounded.
When old houses get new plugs, usually we have to GFCI the first plug, then we replace all two prong plugs with three prong, for convenience.
@@dougmansfieldiii2120 the video shows how to install a new outlet, you are just installing new outlets, you are nor Grounding two-prong outlet, you are installing new outlets. when you run new wires and outlets it is called installing new outlets.
They got us again!
@@Hisham0099 Grounding a two prong outlets makes no sense as you still cannot insert a grounded plug. One installs a new outlet.
I've never seen the bag and drill before. I learned something new.
If you use the GFI approach, since it wouldn't have the ground wire available you need to add the "no equipment ground" sticker to the face plate (it will come with the GFI). Actually I've done this to a number of plugs in my (very old) house when I can't easily pull a new cable. Works fine and is code but remember for electronics (TV, computer, etc) it won't protect them like something that has a ground all the way back to the breaker.
It’s GFCI and they are not plugs, the are receptacles or outlets. A plug 🔌 is a completely different part
@@electricaf365 Showoff! I know what he meant. And his point of not having a real earth ground is well taken. Line conditioner surge suppressors (Furman, Panamax) typically used for home theater or audio systems need a true, preferably robustly grounded RECEPTACLE.
NEC 2011 did away with the no ground sticker
@@chrisidzerda2963still use it though.
The main circuit panel does not have to have separate neutral and ground bars (only sub panels). When he is hooking up the breaker he says to hook the last wire up to the ground bar but you can see a bunch of white neutral wires already in the same bar which is fine.
I think the breaker he is using is designed to send the current to different busses. I think the previously confused panel is a different issue but he did the job correctly
brought to you by klein tools and milwaukee, great guy!
I always love the straight up tips from Ask This Old House
Great info, even for those of us who "already knew that." Thanks.
Love that offset bender.
Really wish I had one of those when I was rebuilding elevators back in 2008...
Some older homes like mine with two-prong can be grounded but through the metal conduate back to the breaker box.
this is true as long as there is a grounding tail going from the electrical box to the outlet, switch, etc and the conduit is emt or rigid. Metal flex is/was only allowed for grounding in special circumstances. I think it's even still legal to do this today although it is frowned upon.
Using the conduit as the grounding conductor was common practice until the mid 90s.
Since you're talking about older homes, are you talking about actual conduit? Or the flexible metal armor that a lot of older wiring was wrapped in? If you're talking about the latter, it's illegal now to use that as a ground. Overtime, the cable could form a break, whether it be at the box or along the run, causing a ground fault. Also, the armor wasn't necessarily designed to carry any kind of load. There is potential of causing a fire if the neutral wire loses connection since a standard breaker has no way of checking if power is coming back through the neutral wire, or another location (ground wire). You could have 15 or 20+ amps going to the armor cladding when it wasn't designed to do that and heating it up like a heating element. Hence why GFCI breakers exist.
@Jason Bowman "EMT conduit"? You mean "EMC"? Also worth noting that not all "conduit" is metal, let alone conductive, even with all the proper fasteners.
One time, I replaced a 2 prong outlet with a 3 prong, and grounded it (and the box it was) in by running a grounding wire through the side of the house, out to a grounding rod place along the foundation
@@88KeysIdaho I'm not sure exactly how you system was wired, but tying back to the breaker box is the better idea. Hopefully the ground rod you tied into was the same one that hooked up to your breaker box. Depending on soil conditions, any ground rod at the home isn't always the best ground connection.
My 1961 on slab home in Thousand Oaks had two prong receptacles. Installed GFI's on two wire wiring.....Worked fine, in the electrical code
5:04 the ground wire on the left side is getting pretty close to those breakers there...lol
I watched it over and over again and still can’t figure out what you’re talking about.
The jobs you show always have complete open access to what needs doing. Just once I want to see you tear apart some drywall.
It is always best case scenario. It is bizarre. Why make that video?
And how come there’s always a pristine breaker panel installed? How come there’s never a rusty old fuse box full of cobwebs? (With 75% of the house on just one fuse!)
Title: how to ground a 2 prong outlet. Your answer: rip out and rewire everything. lol.
if it's an electrical problem, do it all over from scratch. It'll be safer in the long run.
@@Onionbagel And if it's an electrician you're paying to do it... it means more work for him, hence more money in his pocket.
SHOULD have been, "Explain why grounding isn't necessary and how to install GFCI".
My mother's house has 3-prong outlets at all of the outlet boxes and NONE OF THEM ARE GROUNDED! It's an old house. Never assume an outlet is grounded just because it's 3-prong.
How do i tell if they ate grounded or not?
@@MILLER2607 3-prong receptacle tester.
Just as the last screw is set.. Homeowner says, “ oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, wifey wants the washer / dryer on the other side of the basement “..
🙈
and then the electrician says 'stop blaming your wife for you mix ups. and oh maybe you should try doing the laundry sometime?'
The wife should get what she wants. The electrician will be happy to move that outlet, and/or install a new one on the other side of the basement--it's only the electrician's time and the homeowner's money...
The other spouse always wants something “ridiculous”. Most contractors know when that happens to explain in bogus technical jargon why it simply can’t happen. 😂
Good video. Simple, straight up explanation with correct options. I should show it to some of my customers. It is some of the comments I worry about. Proper grounding is one of the most important safety issues when it comes to electricity. Older and even newer homes have their own unique wiring methods. It could be handyman doing work in the past. When the grounding wire was added to the cables many electricians did not know what to do with it. Keep in mind that if there is no proper grounding conductor present, your surge protectors might not work.
Good vid, however he ran the romex through the 1/2" conduit without removing the sheathing from the romex, this can create overheating issues with the wire & is actually a code violation...
Came here to say this. Even though it will be a remote possibility, stripping the sheathing should have been done.
Actually that is a gray area. Some inspectors flag it and some say it is fine as long as it's a short piece(so basically a protective sleeve).
But...if you strip it then it is a flat out violation as there is no rating for the wire printed on the independent wires.
@@michaelruskey2311 Good point, I hadn't given thought to the rating info 👍
Wrong
You are right Ryan. Sheathed wire inside a pipe will increase the temp of the wire adding more resistance, and alerting the voltage supplied.
tests for ground.. reversed hot / neutral.. excellent
Note the panel, it's likely the main panel, and you can see ground and neutral sharing the neutral/ground bars, so the two are "bonded", at the box. Also note: sometimes people ran ground to the metal box, but not to the receptical. In that case, you can go with a 3 prong, and the entire thing is simpler.
Only a three-prong receptacle with a ground strap attached to the bottom screw is code compliant
@@kevinjensen7752 new code allows a gfi to be used, without ground if you do not have it at the box.must be marked as ungrounded.
Or just put the entire ungrounded circuit on a GFI breaker. Easier then having GFI outlets everywhere.
@@kardrumzcoursey9537 I know right. Honestly, if GFI breakers existed before 71, ground wires to the appliances would not even exist....lol.
5:26 Smooth transition. Very meta.
So hire an electrician? got it thanks
Hiring an electrician is not that simple. Many of them claimed to be licensed, but actually not. That alone could put your life in danger and it is a challenge to find out if that's a legit licensed electrician or not.
@@AdamIverson I mean if you think you know more than any electrician that's available in your area, sure DIY
you could also check reviews and check licences and insurances instead of risking your life and all the lives that will ever be in that house.
howdareyou41 Electricity isnt a mythical creature lol. Basic principles and knowledge make it easy. But it comes down to comfort. I wired everything from light sockets to whole motors in the oilfield as a regular hand, so im quite comfortable with it.
Actually it is that simple. Hiring electrician. Ask the electrician if he has his journeyman card. If he cannot present one you will know he’s no good. You always should have one if you are a licensed journeyman electrician!!!!
By the way horrible video. The guy is boring and there was no need to put this in there because you need to hire an electrician anyways. Not to mention all you need to put in your video is need a new circuit!
Heath is the man! Great fit for the show
They should have explained how a bootleg ground will make a 3-prong outlet test fine on one of those testers, but is very against code and very dangerous.
whats a bootleg ground
The day I put in a GCFI on the washers outlet was such a huge piece of mind moment!
OMG how did we all survive so long without arc faults and gfci protected devices. Its all a grift.
Don't take a shortcut and install a 3-prong receptacle and bond the ground with the neutral. Those simple wiring testers can't detect if it was wired this way.
Was checking how far down this comment would be
If you reverse the line and the neutral and the connect the ground to the line then testers will show it perfectly OK but it is deadly.
I’ve heard elsewhere that you’re not supposed to run Romex through conduit; just run the THHN wires instead. Never heard a good explanation of why, though.
I once had a master electrician tell me to never run Romex through conduit, as it can result in overheating. I just did some checking and, while a very good idea, that's not entirely true. Code says you can run Romex through conduit as long as the wire, including the Romex sheathing, doesn't take more than 53% of the space. The Romex in the video was yellow, so very likely 12/2. For 12/2 Romex, that comes to about a 3/4" conduit. The conduit in the video could have very well been 3/4"
However, it would have been great if ToH would have addressed something that many people, including myself, would question. Even though it is code compliant, why choose to do something that most electricians would not.
I'm guessing that given the conduit in question is metal and it's not surrounded by insulation, heat isn't an issue and using Romex may be the easy (lazy?) approach. Not calling these guys lazy. A lazy person like me would just have gone the GFCI route and called it a day.
This video is done really well with great explanations. I have no electrical knowledge and I understand perfectly. Good job!
best explanation of a circuit I've seen so far, thank you
Listen Jules, I don't need to know how good my coffee tastes. I know how good it is. I'm the one who buys it. When Bonnie goes shopping she buys the cheap crap. I like to taste my coffee. But it's not my coffee that I'm concerned with, it's the ungrounded outlet in my basement. When you pulled into my driveway, did you see a sign that says ungrounded outlet storage?
I just subscribed to your channel because of this comment.
He also ran sheathed wire through conduit which in many places is against code. Not only that, it wastes space in the conduit.
Good content. I would have also labeled the laundry breaker once "discovered".
When he shut off the main breaker, there is still the service entrance wires that are live and exposed. In Canada, there is a seperate barrier over the main breaker to protect you, but in the US there is no barrier.
That's nice that CE was looking out for the 5 year old electricians that cannot keep their fingers in check!
Theres a lot of ppl that cheat the neutral wire when trying to sell their home. Keep in mind those plug testers are not always accurate, considering it doesn't know if there is an equipment ground wire or not.
Some newer testers can identify bootleg grounds...👍
@@MrMaxyield Nice to know. What manufacturer carries it. I have always opened outlets to see if ground has been bootleged.
@@notredo one brand i know of is Ideal. I think it's call Ideal Sure Test, i do know they run around $300 give or take. They work my measuring the impedance between neutral and ground on the receptacle. Obviously a cheated ground (aka there is old cloth 2 wire system and the handyman decides to install a 3 wire outlet and jump the neutral and ground to fraudulently pass an inspection, very common with flipper homes, unfortunately ) will be a very low impedance due to the very short length of wire, while a properly grounded romex wiring will show a larger impedance due to length to the panel, because neutral and ground eventually meet at same bussbar . Hope that helps
@@Sparky-ww5re thanks
@@dancooper6002 If you buy an old home you should already have that in mind..
This video was titled perfectly, because anyone who was searching for how to ground a two pronged outlet would hopefully click on this video and get some good advice.
If the receptacle is in EMT like many unfinished basement receptacles are, especially in the laundry room, you can just put a jumper to the outlet from the metal box and the conduit that’s connected to the service is now the equipment grounding conductor.
Yes it does work but definitely better to use actual ground
But for for retrofit why not
Yes, unless you have the conduit poorly connected to the box and the main panel. It's obviously better to run a ground wire.
Yes EMT is perfectly fine to serve as ground. Perfect example of do-nothing make work. All that was needed was to replace two prong with three prong receptical and connect ground to metal box (checking that metal box is indeed grounded first).
@@springer-qb4dv yep thats what I meant for a new install just run a dedicated ground but for this situation especially since in America you have to have use a gfci in unfinished basement it would’ve been fine
I love the 'little kicker'. I have a 1/2 and 3/4 inch conduit bender which is a pain for the end of the conduit. Not the easiest
I though you couldn’t run romex in conduit?
Check NEC.
Not true except in outdoor locations, because the inside of conduit in a wet or damp location is itself a wet or damp location.
Nice electrician Guy
Great vid but the ground connection to the outlet box should be wrapped clockwise. All electrical connections beneath screws should tighten from the turning.
I’m not sure what you’re talking about but It was definitely wrapped clockwise.
Good job...but my inspector would not pass this job due to the romex being ran through the emt...I would have pulled #12 thhn wire from the j box to the new device preventing over heating through the jacketed romex....
Completely misleading title. Here's a spoiler...he "grounds" it by tossing it in a garbage can.
Isn't a ground literally a rod driven into the ground and wired to the panel?
I think it should be pretty obvious what the title meant lol. You can't ground a receptacle with two prongs. What would even be the point of that? Obviously it means replacing the two prong outlet with a grounded three prong outlet in it's place. That's a lot longer than saying "grounding a two prong outlet" so they just hope people are smart enough to figure it out and they made that the title.
@@brickman409 If the receptacle is wired w/ the old metal-armored BX cable, it's often grounded, anyhow. In that case, he'd use put one multimeter probe on the cover-plate screw & then the other in the hot slot (and if that fails, neutral [in case it's wired backwards]).
@@blue03r6 - It is both grounded to a rod in the ground and the ground coming from the power pole . Not sure where the power pole ground ends up but probably at another rod in the earth. 🔌
@@Madness832 Be careful with assuming that the old BX cable provides adequate ground... it does not, if there is no bonding conductor (that thin aluminum wire running inside the spiral jacket). Then, GFCI is the only way to properly retrofit an ungrounded receptacle fed by the "old" BX.
I like the way this guy work
Now that it's also on an arc fault breaker, they are guaranteed absolute and total safety. It cures baldness, too. (Sarcasm)
Unfortunately, Arc Fault is now required for laundry area
@@scottg62g Yeah, it is. I am yet to see a proof that Arc Faults actually work. GFCI's do, and they save lives for sure. AF's - that's still voodoo to me. They either false trip on arcing motors (vacuums), or are desensitized by manufacturers below the threshold of any meaningful sensitivity. Not to mention that they also removed the 30 mA ground fault protection from most of them, which was their only useful fire prevention feature.
Thanks for this explanation. I think this video is really helpful for the safety of one's life.
The only problem with that little plug-in six dollar tester is it can be fooled depending what’s going on in the back.
There are more comprehensive and expensive testers that cannot be fooled.
The bottom line is someone still has to know what is actually happening with the wiring and how to correct it..
Yep my buddy who happens to be a master electrician, calls them the three eyed lairs, for good reason. One of the most dangerous occurs, especially common in flipper homes, is when there is older cloth romex with only black and white, or worse yet, knob and tube, and someone removes the original two prong receptacles and installs 3 prong outlet and, knowing that leaving the ground unconnected will fail a home inspection, they will take a ahort jumper and connect the ground and neutral together at the receptacle. Then consider the possibility of a reverse polarity situation. Any appliance with a metal case i would apear to operate correctly, but be live with 120 volts on its surface yet this simple 5 dollar tester will show wiring correct.
@@Sparky-ww5re There are extremely good testers on the market but you’re gonna have to pay around $150-$200 which most people won’t or never have. The only other way you find out is you open stuff up
Thanks
COOP
..
I've been called on sleeving Romex through EMT without striping the insulation before.
You were called wrong. If you strip romex before you protect it you create a violation.
@@lloydmills9619 NEC allows NM inside a conduit?
@@User5_ ARTICLE 334 Nonmetallic-Sheathed Cable: Types NM, NMC, and NMS
II. Installation
334.15 Exposed Work. In exposed work, except as provided in 300.11(A), cable shall be installed as specified in 334.15(A) through (C).
(B) Protection from Physical Damage. Cable shall be protected from physical damage where necessary by rigid metal conduit, intermediate metal conduit, electrical metallic tubing, Schedule 80 PVC conduit, Type RTRC marked with the suffix -XW, or other approved means. Where passing through a floor, the cable shall be enclosed in rigid metal conduit, intermediate metal conduit, electrical metallic tubing, Schedule 80 PVC conduit, Type RTRC marked with the suffix -XW, or other approved means extending at least 150 mm (6 in.) above the floor. [ROP 7-94] Type NMC cable installed in shallow chases or grooves in masonry, concrete, or adobe shall be protected in accordance with the requirements in 300.4(F) and covered with plaster, adobe, or similar finish.
Major household appliances can an will trip GFCI. Appliance amperage increase and decrease during use. For example a washer is washing, amp draw 3.5. We drain the water. At the start of the motor for spin the amp draw will increase to 12 amp, tripping the ground fault. Dishwashers are the worst. Appliance manufacturers will print in there manual must use a grounded out. Do not use GFCI
Also if you bond the neutral and ground on the receptacle it will show grounded with those testers. Many people do this to fool home inspectors, and it appears as grounded.
This is dangerous as if a break in the neutral occurs and the appliance is on, it will electrify the box/ appliances on that outlet.
most inspectors that i have dealt with want the boxes open.
@@dancooper6002 lol
I went to a guy's house, when you would touch the refrigerator and the metal ring around the kitchen sink you would get shocked, I could tell instantly it was a full 110 volt shock, so I got my handy tester from home and sure enough the wires were reversed, when that was fixed, no more shock! Those little testers are really handy.
@m rapacki Old house, only 2 wires.
Reversing the wires does not cause you to be shocked unless you have a bootleg ground.
Good thing there was a panel nearby to run a new circuit from. So many old houses were wired with ungrounded Romex for years, and there's no easy fix for that, short of a rewire.
why these videos are pointless. so many steps are just glossed over.
Steve Kovacs
So abandon the 2 prong and run a new outlet next to it?
Steve Kovacs yeah my house I just brought has stone exterior with plaster walls built on interior and has the old 2 prong outlets my only real chance to change wiring is to probably have to rip out all the plaster and rewire 😬
One possible "easy fix" for ungrounded receptacles is to replace them with 3-prong receptacles having GFCI protection and properly labeled as "No Equipment Ground". No "rewire" is necessary, unless your appliance actually NEEDS an equipment grounding conductor, such as do most plug-in surge protectors. Of course, a growing number of locations would ALSO need AFCI and TR protections for any replacements.
@@jimmcdunnah8533 I would look at some of the numerous other YT videos that actually show how to install GFCI protection for ungrounded receptacles, such as replacing 2-slot with 3-slot receptacles, which may meet code in most places.
In my house, and probably many older homes, the circuits ARE wired with a ground, and the boxes are grounded, but the outlets are still older 2-prong ungrounded outlets. The solution in that case is to get little grounding wires that let you ground the outlet directly to the metal box. After that, everything is good to go!
Umm, I'm not an electrician, but I have a 100 year old home that is like that. However, I've been told that grounding to a metal box/metal conduit is unsafe. It creates an exposed ground throughout the system, or something, and is dangerous should there be any kind of fault. You might want to verify the safety of that.
Putting your ground wire to a metal box IS NOT grounding it AT ALL. ONLY if there's 100% metal conduit all the way back to the main panel. And i'm sure that's NOT the case in your home.
If your circuits are wired with a ground why wouldn't you just replace the 2-pring outlets with 3-prong outlets? And why would initial installation be with ground wire but 2-prong outlets? I'm not an electrician but have done some electrical. My daughter just got bought an older home and I want to help her fix the outlets which are all 2-prong. The video was helpful but then all the comments start clouding the water.
>
Yes, you can do that.
However, I just finished taking the old 2 prong duplex receptical OUT and installing a three prong recepticle.
The old metal box was grounded using BX cable, and I used a pigtale from the receptacle ground to the box.
My old home is wired using BX metal cable, and the metal cladding provides a ground back to the main panel.
But it's an old house, and a two prong plug was the standard at the time.
So I just replaced the old two prong plug with a three prong plug. The recepticle ground gets screwed into the metal box, grounding the receptice.
Checked it out before and after using my multimeter.
That guy seems so sad! Can I give him a hug?
no
@@Engineer9736 😂
First. Can't run romex in emt. Second emt can be a ground if done to code. Third wet location requires water tight connecters and box.
What kind of masonry bit attachment did you use there? Looked pretty handy for keeping a clean work area.
I thought that was interesting too. Something I hadn't seen before. Went looking and it seems like it's one of these.
www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200734083_200734083?cm_mmc=Google-pla&Google_PLA&Power%20Tools%20%3E%20Drills%20%2B%20Accessories&Milwaukee&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-Mr0BRDyARIsAKEFbefajgWuuJ-aBtxDFdbBnvPsTB20d3uvuo1dOmEU1Kao5MilEuymffAaAsSrEALw_wcB
That’s a silica dust capture device. It’s made by Milwaukee and is cheap. It’s required to use for all contractors per OSHA.
Nice, thanks guys. Cheap enough that if I had an indoor job I'd probably consider getting one just to help with all the dust.
@@RadDadisRad hmm, which states require that? I've never seen anything like it before.
@@nauthizzz Was wondering what this was, too. Thanks for finding it!
I'm not an electrician, but I've spent decades installing and repairing my own wires. Years ago my son bought a 90 year old house near LA. The garage was detached from the house. Somebody had previously ran 120 VAC from the house to the garage. They provided no grounds. No GFCI. The garage had the door opener, a refrigerator and ceiling lights. All were functioning normally. I told my son about the lack of grounds and the associated risks, and he asked me to fix it. I took a four foot metal rod and pounded it deep into the flower bed right next to his garage. Then I securely clamped a wire to the rod and connected it to the metal conduit in the garage. With my meter I confirmed that all necessary grounds were operational. My son eventually paid an electrician to run a proper ground back to the fuse box.
Greg, you say you used a meter to confirm all grounds were operational. But did you know that a ground rod buried in the flower bed as you describe will only carry a few amps at most. So a direct short from hot to ground will NOT trip a 15 amp breaker. The correct solution is to connect ground back to the main panel as you say was later done. A better solution is to add GFCI since that would work even without any working ground.
@@neilbrookins8428 That's great feedback. I had not considered the limited amps the ground rod will carry. Isn't a ground rod used at the breaker panel too?
Greg Sullivan Yes the main panel will be hooked to a ground rod. But you have to realize where the current flows in the event of a short circuit. Imagine that your appliance (with a 3 pin plug) shorts from hot to ground. That flows over the ground wire all the way back to the main panel. From there the ground and neutral are bonded together. So the current continues over neutral all the way back to the center tap of the transformer. That completes the circuit. Since the circuit is complete and low resistance the breaker trips. Note that in this example the current could flow over the ground rod and through the ground to the transformer which is also grounded, but that’s a higher resistance so very little current flows that path. But technically the current would take both paths, but almost all would be on the wires and not the earth.
Love these videos when they say, everything is wide open so lets run a new wire. Never a video where you actually have to explain something.
Isn't it a bad idea to pull sheath wiring- (like Romex) through a conduit?
You are correct. Romex in conduit is illegal. You also don’t need a grounding wire because you can use the conduit as the grounding path.
Replace it entirely.... Yup that's what they do.
3:46 Uses a fancy dust collection system.
Still manages to drop have the dust on the floor.
Ah, miss the good old days when you could always just connect a copper cable to the cold water pipe and you're good to go for ground.
Until somebody adds a little PVC section in the middle of the copper piping?
@@jrstf PVC, or maybe a dielectric union.
One time, I grounded an outlet (and the box it was) in by running a grounding wire through the side of the house, out to a grounding rod place along the foundation.
If the box is metal and the wiring has a metal jacket that goes back to the breaker and attach a jumper from outlet to box? Not sure if that’s acceptable but it does provide a ground
Us plumbers really hate being shocked by pipes, please use ground rod.
No, the easiest thing to do is to install A AFCI/GFCI breaker. It will then pass the national electrical code. It will also protect all the receptacles on that breaker.
While in this case, a re-wire was appropriate and the basic explanation is correct, there are other ways that are still legal under the National Electrical code. It depends upon the nature of the wiring being used. Should you have an ungrounded circuit that is encased in armored/ Be cable, the armor casing itself is legal to use as a ground if it travels all the way. Back to the panel. The same is true with circuits encased in Electrical Metal Tubing. This can be checked by the use of a meter or neon test lamp to determine if a complete circuit can be obtained by using the shielding medium. If there is a complete circuit available, then a ground wire from the outlet ground terminal to the shield is all that is required
This is for when with EMT, it is not possible to draw an additional ground wire directly back to the panel.
I was just getting ready to say that
Just curious: how does your neon test lamp "know" that the shield has not simply been shorted to neutral at the nearest junction box, thus defeating much of the grounding protection? Also, nothing prevents you from putting in a GFCI for the replacement 3-prong receptacle if you don't actually need an equipment ground (which most appliances do not).
wow, awesome video, Thanks. now even more questions, how is power distributed when the system alternates? And if AC alternates, why does it seems to still have a direction of hot wire, to appliance, and continues direction back to panel? perhaps the terminology is confusing to me, considering it's a force that cannot be seen.
I agree with some of the people that leave comments I'am a retired electrican and woundn't want this guy He installed a GFCI outlet and ARC fault breaker also Seems a little over kill Why pay for both when one would do No connector on pipe where goes in to outlet One thing he did I liked was the off set tool he had
I finished a job last week.
Guy put 13 GFCI’s in basement.
And no joke. Had 13 bare copper wires coming out and he had drilled 13 holes in slab and pushed grounds into each hole.
I love making $$$$$$$ lol
Holy crap, what an idiot.😮
he reminds me a lot of steve buscemi
Thanks I live in a house that's been in my family since my grandmother's mother and I'm 37 it's just me and my daughter it's a nice sized 3 bed 1 bath perfect for us but the room I wanna use as the computer room only has one outlet and it has no ground my aunt gave me a standard 3 hole plug but thanks to this video I'll wait until tomorrow and get the receptacle that has a built in ground I watched 2 videos before this to see if it would be OK to still hook it up but thanks to the demonstration at the end I can wait one more day !! I'm not sure what else is on the circuit with the plug and so buying that would be the simplest fix
All in one breath! Congrats!
We have a 75 year old cabin with no ground...and all aluminum wiring. No problem so far!
I love Scott but Heath seems to fit the show better. He seems to be better at teaching and explanations focused on electrical, and not as much the non-electrical parts
Yea Heath was enjoyable to watch
Problem is, Heath lacks that accent!
The black wire is called the ungrounded conductor.
How to ground a two-prong electrical outlet? Rip it out and replace it with a 3 prong one. Kind of a misleading video?
Lol it's not always that simple. If there are only two wires in the box, then the entire cable needs to be replaced in order for the ground to work, which isn't an easy task.
He removed two sets of ungrounded outlets, installed a new AFCI, 20A breaker in the panel, ran a new, 20A feed from the breaker panel, and used it to supply a new 20A GFCI outlet that he installed with EMT conduit into a new metal outlet box. This was ALL showed and explained in the video.
@@RobertLeBlancPhoto Hell of a lot of work when you're NOT in an open basement with a completely exposed circuit...
@@c182SkylaneRG But they were, which is why he did what he did and he explained that installing a GFCI receptacle and leaving the existing wiring was an option at 1:45.
Of course they show the easiest possible example, unfinished basement with the panel nearby. not having to fish wire through old plaster walls with fireblocks
IKTFB - fishing wire through plaster walls with fireblocks....that’s what we call havin a good time!
The GFCI solution is perfectly legal and safe (in my area anyway) but electricians "don't really like doing that because he would really rather run new cable" even though a GFCI will work perfectly. Also, he didn't explain using a GFCI breaker, which is another legal alternative to separate GFCI outlets. Copper is now very expensive and if the wiring in the house is still reliable, there is no reason to "rewire the whole frickin house" just because the electrician "doesn't really like doing that". By the way, most new appliances draw much less current than their previous versions such as a new washing machine that probably is now using an inverter type drive motor and control that reduces surge current significantly and is more efficient. Don't let these guys talk you into replacing the existing wiring in your house IF the wiring in the house is reliable.
I have a really old house that’s a Frankenstein of an electrical wiring mess. Will installing a gfci 3 prong outlet, replacing an old 2 prong, ground whatever device I plug into it? I have a laser engraver that requires a 3 prong outlet for warranty purposes.
@@Songbirdofourgeneration Your engraver will not be grounded with only two wires/no ground regardless of the gfci. Also the guy who's post we're commenting on shouldn't be listened to. You need new wiring with a ground for bonding purposes. If the GFCI trips, the appliance/tool is safe, but current takes the path of least resistance. Something else can become energized in the walls or along the conduit of there is metal conduit.
Fix your wiring to ensure a good grounding and BONDING is made so current, if need be, makes it to the ground or utility if a short occurs. This is your life and your home.
I like this guy. Keep him on the team.
I get the GFCI plug being used for the washer and dryer but why the AFCI breaker to power it? Is that code now? I know you have to use them in bedroom circuits.
Yes, that has been a code requirement for sometime now.
I try to stay away from gfci receptacles when possible, I prefer to use dual function afci/gfci breakers.
Moon Pie that’s what I thought
@@bradfordlibby9118 Well, according to the NFPA the 2014 NEC still hasn't been adopted in some states, and some didn't adopt it until 2018, so adding AFCI when replacing a receptacle in a laundry room has not previously "been a code requirement for sometime now" for everyone (although it has been for most).
@@bradfordlibby9118 that’s the way to go.
Love slow pace this video (drilling, bending) is until something meaningful is shown them it rushes through it. 5:05
Way to not let people know that even with the main breaker off to not tell people power is still present on the wires coming from the meter.
Learned that the hard way, myself. Even harder was the realization that the wires are hot on BOTH sides of the main breaker. I thought they were only hot on the one side...
@Proton2112 Not upstream of the meter. Between the meter and the main breaker. Even with the main breaker off, the wires coming TO the main breaker are still hot. On both sides, as it turns out.
@@c182SkylaneRG so whats the problem
@@randomrazr If you don't know that there's still live power inside the main panel, even with the main breaker off, you could get a shock. Depending on how the shock passes through your body, it could be rather damaging (or so I'm told. In personal experience, it's always been a mild but distinctive buzzing feeling).
@@c182SkylaneRG yeah, but for this application it doesn't matter. The is zero reason to mess with anything leading INTO the main breaker when adding a circuit.
I did however think it should have shown the main being shut off. Not just a side comment on how I've switched the thing so now stuffs safe to play with. Keep in mind that a large portion of the audience looks to these videos for advice or even instruction, and if they can't take the time to show All of the steps necessary to do it safely, then they should reevaluate if they should make these videos at all.
The link to that outlet tester would have been nice in the description.
Nice video thanks again
They didnt ground the 2 prong. They replaced it with a new circuit. Kind of mistitled..
Never forget the fundamentals. Electrical current does not just "go to ground". It ALWAYS returns to the source (generator, transformer etc..).
The purpose of the equipment grounding conductor (ground wire) is to provide a low impedance (resistance) path BACK TO THE SOURCE to immediately open the over current protection device (circuit breaker) . In this case the source is the transformer out on the utility distribution pole where the current was created.
So the power company is getting back energy we use? 😮
@@kalijasin no
@@kalijasin you need to understand electrical fundamentals
@@QuaabQueb you made the claim Not me.
you can use a 2 prong outlet safely by wiring it to a gfci outlet.
Neat little bender but I'm sure I'll never do enough conduit work to feel the need to get one.
Raw Bacon that’s a Greenlee offset bender. Contractors use them for roughing in. You can put an unskilled person on doing box offsets.
They are handy if doing a lot of box offsets on a job. Cuts the time by a third instead of a standard bender..If your doing 1000 box offsets, the 200.00 + price pays for itself in just a few jobs.
@@TheRealTonyCastillo Agreed. Not to mention on larger jobs, consistency is very important as you often have lots of bends right next to each other.
You can buy a offset connector.
Real electrician can bend that offset blindfolded and within 3 seconds with a standard bender.
Thank you.
I've got one of those outlet testers and for some of my outlets all three lights come on but there's no definition for this condition on the device. I contacted the company about it and they don't know what it means either.
W A T ‽
It means that there's a problem that's more subtle. If you have a multimeter, you should check that the Line-Neutral and Line-Ground voltages are around 120V, and the Neutral-Ground voltage is 0 (or *very* close to 0). I'm betting that there's some voltage between Neutral-Ground on the outlets that have all three lights on, likely because you have a bad connection in a Neutral somewhere upstream of those outlets. Now the fun part is to work out where the bad connection is.
It means you're in the plumbing silly!
That means there is voltage between all three prongs. That would happen if it was a 240 V outlet where someone had just put a 120 V receptacle. It could also be be voltage on the groundwire which is very serious. Measure the voltages between the holes with a multi-meter. Do not use it until you have cleared it,
Many appliances do not require a ground (like a toaster) and the code does not prohibit the use of two prong receptacles (i.e. no ground). It is however unsafe to use a three prong receptacle without a ground connection inside because a three pronged appliance will not be able to connect to the ground terminal. Also code doesn't require a GFCI on a washer when it is dedicated and not accessible) but it does require an AFCI now.
True, you shouldn't plug a three-prong plug into an ungrounded receptacle (either with a cheater adapter or an illegally installed 3-prong receptacle) unless it has GFCI protection. Also, in what version of code is 125v receptacle in a "laundry area" (let alone one in an unfinished basement) exempt from GFCI? It's been in the NEC since 2014.
Good point @@UpnorthHere. My comment was in reference to the CE Code in Canada (sorry didn't realize you were in the US). Canadian and US codes are largely harmonized but this might be one divergence and probably due to the different bonding requirements within appliances themselves. In Canada "The requirement for Class A ground fault circuit interrupter protection is not intended to apply to receptacles supplying appliances located behind such appliances as washers, dryers, fridges, ranges, built-in microwaves, and other similar appliances, provided that those receptacles, by virtue of their location, are rendered essentially inaccessible for use for other portable appliances." - I will have to check the NEC for exemptions. - www.linkedin.com/in/pierredoucet3